UN initiative empowers young people on peace and justice

In a world fraught with conflicts, crises and inequalities, the impact on young people is profound. Mainstreaming education on SDG-16 -– peace, justice and strong institutions –- is crucial to tackling their vulnerabilities, including threats from drugs and crime, risky behaviours, violence and mental health, among others. At the same time, young people should be enabled and empowered to understand their rights, make ethical decisions, challenge injustice, and promote fairer communities.

RiseUp4Peace, a new educational initiative in this direction, has been unveiled in India, driven by UNODC, the Kamla Nehru Public School Phagwara and educator partners. 

RiseUp4Peace aims to build a vibrant community of practice to strengthen education around peace, integrity, and the rule of law –- key aspects of SDG-16 –- by building educator capacities, engaging young people, promoting cross-learning and co-creating educational interventions.

At the virtual launch, more than 200 educators, policymakers, and young people from India and beyond welcomed the initiative.

UNODC’s South Asia Representative Marco Teixeira emphasized the alignment of RiseUp4Peace with India’s National Education Policy.

“Empowering young learners with integrity, ethics, and lawfulness is crucial,” he said. “UNODC champions such efforts, engaging youth, training educators, and sharing global expertise.”

The response so far highlights the importance of sharing impact stories and insights on teaching and learning SDG-16. More than 660 educator leaders and 11,500 students from 182 educational institutions across 35 countries have joined the RiseUp4Peace coalition of partners. 

RiseUp4Peace builds on UNODC’s expertise and initiatives in education and youth empowerment: the so-called Education for Justice and GRACE initiatives, through which peer-reviewed and pedagogical tools -- including handbooks of educators -- have been developed to prevent crime, violence, and corruption and promote a culture of lawfulness among young people.

"Through education, we must help students better understand the consequences of crime and risky behaviours, and the importance of justice and the rule of law," said UNODC Communications Officer for South Asia Mr. Samarth Pathak.

                                                            Adapted from UNODC 

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